Current motor



Nov. 3l 1925. 1,560,309

L. A. PETERSEN CURRENT Moron Filed June. 4, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR i wn'NEs r-:s

Zn/avete ATTORN EY Nov. 3 1925.

1,560,309 L. A. PETERSEN CURRENT Moro;

Filed JW@ 4 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 27 2s ai 25 i5 24 uw :mw n 1l n n u1 l .1| .l 4 A I6 l 1] l y 23 17201 k D f2s 20 M f i 'INVENTOR LaurltstAPetersen wlmi-:ss: l A

Z. BY

Nav. 3 1925- L. A. PETERSEN CURRENT uoon Filed June 4. 1924 5 Sheets-Shet 3 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES Laaste PATENT OFFICE.

CURRENT MOTOR.

Appuoation' mea :rune 4, 1924; seria-1 No. 717,762.-

To all whom t may oo'noom.- Y

Be it' knoyvn-that/I, LAUnris A. PETERSN, acitiZen of the United States, residing `at Los' Angeles', in the county of Los Angeles and State ofkCa'lifornia, have invented a new and useful Current Motor, of which the kiollovvirig is a specification.-

This invention relates to a current motor, which is adapted 4to be supported in the waterby ineans of floats,- or' to rest on the bedlofa streainand to derive' its power from the HOW Of the S'LtIl', I'` from the' ebb flOW of the tide. y

The genera-1 object of the invention is to provide improved Ineans for deriving the greatest pssible amount of power froin the current which is available, and especially Where its' flow' iscomparatiylly sluggish, but

ory considerable volume. The device is so' arranged that any desiredv nuinber of indi.-

vidual units be used in connection With a single petver shaft andrnay be operated bya curi'feifitv iifoiving"` in either direction.

The detailed construction and arrangemeint by which thefobjeots of theinv'ontion are attained Willybe more specifically explained in connection with the ac'conipai'iyinfr" drawings, which illustrate the saine in its opr'eterredV forni.

1n the' drawings: A Figure 1' is an end elevation of the! invention.

Figure 2 is a vertioai transverse section thereof. i

Figure 3`is a plan vieuT Withparts shown in section. l i 1 Ifig'ure LLis a vertical longitudinal section. Figure' 5 is a plan View of the central trarne and Water' Wheels carried thereby, 40 with the gate shown in section'.

i Figure 6 is avertical section't'ak'en on the' linee-6 of Figure 4. y Y

Figure 7 is a detailperspective view of the gt: The invention comprises au inner frame', which; may' bo inadeeitherz ory wood'. or nonc'orlrodible metal, and consists off al fioor 11., ivith" vertical longitudinalf-tvalls 1 2 at each side tii y`eo'f fortuin@ a channel through 50 whit hef'otrreiilt ris directed. Two orniore transverse bars ie,v are secured within; tho oban-oa and extend from; side to Sido therel used,vand each of such shafts carries a Water Wheel 16 at each end, and adjacent thereto is' an end plate 17 having circular openings 18 siibsta'ntially corresponding in size to the diameter of the Waterl Wheels.l If desired, a number of intermediate Water Wheels 19 may be secured to each'shaft.-

Secured at each end of the frame 10 is a mouth 20, having converging' walls-leading to the entrance of the channel, and provided with a screen 21- extending transversely thereacro's's, so as to prevent Weeds or dbris from becoming entangled with the Water Wheels'. Y

The motor may rest on the bed of the stream, or it may be supported by'loa'ts in such a positionthat the Water Wheels Will be substantially submerged. lAs shown in the drawings, it is supported by floats 22 arranged on opposite sides ofthe frame 10, and secured to the Inont'hs 2O by brackets 2 3,

soldered or otherwise held in `fined relationthereto. The floats are( preferably so ar ranged with respect to the channel that they engagethe upper' edges ofthe Walls 12, thus frming a part of the side Walls of the channel and being disposed between Inouths 20, so that they forin ypractically no resistance to the current.` The ioats are further secured by means" of semi-circular straps 24 held in clamping` relation by bolts 25, and secured to the. side Walls 12 by means of bracketsv 26. The upper sides of the floats 22 are braced by transverse bars 27, which are secured( to the upper ends ci the respective strapsaet. y

As niany units as desired may be employed to constitute a power plant, and each unit! infav contain any n'urnber of Water Wheel Shafts 15, tf1-1 connected toa common power shaft; as' shown at 28;. This power shaft inay'be supported in any desiredy position, and connected to the several Water VWheel shafts by any suitable gearing. In the enibodirnent shown' in the drawings, fthe power shaft 28 is journaled viii bearings 29 secured to the bars 27, and each shaft has a sprocket wheel secured thereto, and connected by a sprocket chain 31 to a similar sprocket wheel 32 secured on the shaft 28. The shaft 28 may be connected by a universal coupling 33 to a suitable power translating device, which may be reversible so that the. motor may be driven by afcurrent flowing in either direction through the channel. The floats 22 may be held against drifting by means of cables 34, the ends of which are connected with hooks 35 mounted on the bolts A25 at the upper ends of the clamping straps 24.

A gate 36 is provided for shutting olf t-he current through the channel when power is no longer required. rIhis gate. is mounted to slide vertically between cleats 37 secured to the sides of the channel, preferably midway of its length. A bracket 38 is secured to the upper ends of the cleats 37 and extends upwardly therefrom, and a screw 39 secured centrally of the upper end of the gate extends upwardly through a hole 40 in the bracket. A wheel 41 is provided with a hub 42 resting on the upper end of the bracket 38, and into which the screw 39 is threaded, whereby a rotation of the wheel 41 in one direction will raise the gate, and a rotation in the other direction will lower it. The gate is provided with vertical slots 43 and 44, through which the shafts. 15 and 28 may pass.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that IY have devised a. current motor by which substantially all of the energy of the stream may be utilized, Even though the stream flows sluggishly, its velocity will be increased by the passage through the restricted channel, and the floats are so situated that they form substantially no resistance. Any number of units may be used, and so arranged as to utilize substantially all of the available current, and all may be connected to a single power sha-ft lVhile I have shown and described the preferred arrangement for effecting these results, it is to be understood that these are merely for the purpose of illustration, and thatmany modifications may be made withinthe scope of what is claimed without departing from the salient features of the invention.

I'Vliat is claimed is: c

1. In a current motor, the combinationof a frame forming a water channel, floats yon opposite sides of the frame, clamps encircling the respective floats, brackets secured to the sides of the frame and to the lower ends of the clamps, transverse barsy located above said frame and connecting the upper ends of the clamps, a pluralityk of parallel longitudinal shafts mounted within vthe channel and each having one or more water wheels thereon which are normally submerged, bearings supported by said transverse bars, and a power shaft journaled in said bearings. parallel to the water wheel shafts and operatively connected thereto.

2. In a-'current motor, the combination of a frame forming a water channel, a mouth at each end of the channel with converging walls leading to the channel, a plurality of longitudinal shafts journaled within the channel and having water wheels at each end thereof, a plate extending across each end of the channel with circular openings in front of each water wheel and of substantially the same size .as said water wheel, a float at each side o-f the frame and contained within the space between said mouths with the inner sides of the floats forming upward extensions for the side walls of the channel, clamps encircling the respective floats, brackets secured to the side walls and to the lower extremities of the clamps, transverse bars co-nnecting the upper extremities of the clamps, bearings supported by said bars,

and a power shaft supported for rotation in said bearings and operatively connected to each of the water wheel shafts.

3. IIn a current motor, the combination of a. frame forming a channel with bottom and side walls, a mouth at each end of the cha-nnel with convergingwalls leading to the channel, a plurality of longitudinal-shafts journaled within the channel and having water wheels thereon, floats located at each side of the frameand contained within the space between the Vwalls of said mouths, clamps encircling the respective floats, brackets secured to the side walls ofthe channel and to the lower extremities of the clamps, transverse bars connecting the upper extremities of the clamps, bearings supported by said bars, apower shaftjournaled in said bearings and operatively 'connected to each of the water wheel shafts, cleats secured yto the innery sides of the channel walls and forming vertical'opposed guideways, a gate mounted in said guidewaysand having vertical slots through which said shafts pass, and means for raising and lowering said gate.

4. In a current motor, the combinationof a frame forming a channel with bottoni and side walls, a mouth at each end of the channel with converging walls leading to the channel, a yplurality of-longitudinal shafts j ournaled within the channel and having water wheels at each endV thereof,- a plate extending across each end of the channel with circular openings in front of each water wheel and of substantially the same size as the water` wheel, a float at each side of the frame and lcontained within the space between the walls of the mouths with the inner sides of the floats forming-upward extensions for the side walls of the channel, clamps encircling the respective floats, brackets se cured to the side walls and t0 the .lower extremities of the clamps, transverse bars Connecting the upper ends of the clamps, bearings supported hy said bars, a power' shaft jonrnaled in said bearings and operatively connected to each of the Water Wheelshafts, cleats secured to the inner sides of the floats and the channel Walls and forming vert-ical opposed guideways, a gate mounted in said guideways and having vertical slots through which said shafts pass, and screw threaded means for raising and lowering said gate.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

LAURITS AXEL PETERSEN. 

